Bell Asset Management Ltd Acquires 3,595 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Bell Asset Management Ltd grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 12.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,465 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 3,595 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up 1.3% of Bell Asset Management Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Bell Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $6,896,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,236,186,000. Amundi lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $860,824,000 after acquiring an additional 1,823,807 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $235,511,000 after purchasing an additional 1,093,817 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $207,278,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 473.2% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 927,525 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $197,016,000 after purchasing an additional 765,696 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. The trade was a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MMC. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $236.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock traded up $4.75 during trading on Friday, reaching $233.52. 2,500,152 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,850,884. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.17 and a twelve month high of $248.00. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $232.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $115.10 billion, a PE ratio of 28.51, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc is a professional services firm, which engages in offering clients advice and solutions in risk, strategy, and people. It operates through the Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment is involved in risk management activities, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking and services.